


they say newcomers have a certain smell

by CreatePeaceFromChaos



Series: Like A Missile On A Mission (I'm A Force That You Will Dread) [8]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides, Alternate Universe - Sentinels and Guides Are Known, Confused Reborn (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!), F/F, M/M, Misinformation, Reborn-centric, Sawada Iemitsu Being an Idiot, Sentinel/Guide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-15 23:48:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29072820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CreatePeaceFromChaos/pseuds/CreatePeaceFromChaos
Summary: Reborn knew better than to trust a report from Sawada Iemitsu that hadn't been validated by another source. He just hadn't thought the man would bethatout of touch with his own family.(Part of my KHR Sentinel/Guide AU)
Relationships: Hibari Kyouya/Sawada Tsunayoshi, Sawada Nana/Hibari Kimiko, Sawada Nana/Hibari Kyouya's Mother
Series: Like A Missile On A Mission (I'm A Force That You Will Dread) [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1853503
Comments: 6
Kudos: 161





	they say newcomers have a certain smell

**Author's Note:**

> Title from "Heathens" by Twenty One Pilots
> 
> We're finally to the start of the canon storyline! Not that I'm abiding by canon, but whatever.

He knew better than to trust Sawada Iemitsu’s information at first glance, especially if said information hadn’t been validated by Lal Mirch or even _any other_ member of the CEDEF, but he’d expected – perhaps erroneously – that Iemitsu would know the details about his wife and child. Yet the file he’d been sent was filled with ramblings about the Young Lion’s ‘adorable, lovely wife Nana’ and ‘sweet, clumsy, shy Tsuna-fishy’, with very little substance. The boy’s date of birth placed him at a couple of months past fifteen, but Iemitsu’s report made him sound like he was barely ten, if that. The report stated that Tsunayoshi was a shy, clumsy boy with poor grades and few friends, along with a big embarrassing crush on his school’s female idol – all of which Reborn could help with. He’d done it for Dino, after all, minus the big crush, and now Dino was a brilliant young Sky and Don.

But that was beside the point. The information in the file was wrong, and Reborn could tell that from the moment he managed to set eyes on Sawada Tsunayoshi. His first clue was the fact that when Reborn saw him, he was embracing an older teenaged boy, their foreheads pressed together and one of Tsunayoshi’s hands in the other’s black hair as they spoke quietly. The angle and distance meant that Reborn couldn’t tell what they might be speaking about, but the fondness on Tsunayoshi’s face and the calm set to the other boy’s features – which looked eerily like Fon’s before the curse, if younger and still slightly rounded with the remnants of baby fat – were obvious. There was something between them, an intimate relationship even if it might not be romantic or sexual, and it was clear to Reborn that Tsunayoshi was not the loner the file claimed he was.

He had to correct his assessment a moment later when the taller of the two smirked and leaned down, pressing his lips against Tsunayoshi’s. Romantic relationship, then. And definitely not the type Reborn would have expected if he’d ascribed to Iemitsu’s information packet. The pair separated, kept their foreheads pressed together for a few moments longer, and then put some space between themselves as another teenager – this one looking older than Tsunayoshi’s boyfriend, with an impressive pompadour – approached.

There was a conversation the trio, still indecipherable from Reborn’s position, and then they headed into the school grounds and disappeared from Reborn’s sight.

As the day wore on, and Reborn tracked Tsunayoshi’s movements, a niggling feeling of being watched settled over him. It was vaguely familiar, but not in a way that made him think the source of the feeling had been watching him before – actually, it felt like his first few months tutoring Dino—

Realisation struck like a sledgehammer.

 _That_ was why it was familiar. He’d been watched by the local Sentinel-Guide community when he’d started tutoring Dino, all of whom had been making sure he didn’t harm a latent Sentinel. It was next to impossible to hide from a Sentinel or Guide if you weren’t one yourself, and even then, you had to be stronger than the one searching for you. And Reborn was no Sentinel or Guide to be able to hide himself that way.

That meant, contrary to Iemitsu’s report – which honestly wasn’t going to surprise him anymore, as the idiot clearly had no clue what was going on in Namimori – Tsunayoshi was not mundane, but was instead a latent (or online, he supposed) Sentinel or Guide. It was too soon to tell, as he’d yet to see Tsunayoshi act in a way he recognised as belonging to either type of psionically-gifted being, but the sensation of being watched was almost identical to how he’d been watched those first few months of training Dino.

This required more research, and more information. The best place to get that would be the Namimori Sentinel-Guide Centre, or straight from the source – and he wasn’t yet ready to introduce himself to his student-to-be. Yet he knew without checking that the Sentinel-Guide Centre would _not_ give him information about Tsunayoshi if they had it. Sentinels and Guides were mercilessly protective of their own, and Reborn was a mundane outsider. All he could do for now was observe, and hope to gain _some_ clue about his prospective student’s status.

In the meantime, he would check the teen’s grades and home. Hopefully at least _something_ Iemitsu wrote down was correct… but Reborn wouldn’t hold his breath about that. The man was _clearly_ out of touch.

The address listed was correct, which was almost a surprise, but it was far closer to the Sentinel-Guide Centre than Reborn would have expected. Usually the proximity of such a place would be well-noted in an information packet. Once again, Idiotsu’s information had fallen through.

At some point the building had been expanded, with the blocks on all sides having been added to the property and the house having gained multiple extensions. It was almost a compound, now, rather than a single civilian house, and Reborn’s gut was screaming ‘danger’ at him. He kept himself calm by force, and took the bare minimum amount of time needed to scope out the place. There were multiple adults in residence, if what he could see of some of the bedrooms were any indication, as well as multiple teenagers and children. Only a couple of people were there while Reborn was casing the place, though, and it was the sweet-looking woman – younger than he’d expected, actually – who matched the photo of Sawada Nana who was setting Reborn’s finely-honed instincts on edge. She moved with a kind of flittering grace, but there was still something incredibly predatory about her.

If Tsunayoshi was a Sentinel or Guide, then it was highly likely his mother was too. Even though Vongola Primo had been a Sentinel, Iemitsu wasn’t even registered as latent, and out of all the previous Vongola Dons, only Daniela had come online despite most of their ancestors having had the right genetic expression for it. It made logical sense that the recent addition of an active Sentinel or Guide to Tsunayoshi’s genetics had caused him to register as latent, or even to have come online already.

He would find no information here with a Sentinel or Guide on-edge as Sawada Nana seemed to be – though he did wonder, now, if Idiotsu was even aware he might have been divorced during his absence. It was uncommon for an online Sentinel or Guide to remain married to a previous spouse if they had married while latent. And if he truly hadn’t returned to Namimori since Tsunayoshi was a child, then it was entirely possible that Nana had divorced him in absentia.

No matter. It wouldn’t affect Reborn’s training of Tsunayoshi. The only things that would affect that was the boy’s online or latent status and whether he’d started to gather his Guardians yet or not. Though perhaps he should start referring to them as Elements, rather than Guardians, due to the role of Guardians among the Sentinel-Guide community… hm. A thought for later, once he knew for sure whether Tsunayoshi was online or not.

By midday he headed back to the school, and so was able to spy on his prospective student during his lunch break. Tsunayoshi spent his lunch break on the roof with his partner, who Reborn was beginning to suspect might be the Sentinel of the pair. Or a Cloud, or possibly both – which was a combination Reborn had never seen before, and hoped he never would. Storm-Sentinels were bad enough, and Reborn’s only experience of those so far had been Fon, who was a class unto himself when it came to Storm Flames. He could definitely appreciate the kind of carnage a Cloud-Sentinel might bring to the Mafia, though… it would be _pure chaos_.

Tsunayoshi and his partner (Sentinel?) ate, and then the older boy put his head in Tsunayoshi’s lap and appeared to start taking a nap. Tsunayoshi didn’t seem at all put off by this – in fact, it seemed like an established habit, for soon after the possible-Sentinel laid down, two more boys joined the pair on the roof. Neither of them was the pompadour-bearing teen from earlier, and so Reborn took note of them just as he had all others Tsunayoshi interacted with. The white-haired boy looked to be close to the same age as the possible-Sentinel, while the other – though tall – appeared to be closer to Tsunayoshi’s age. The black-haired boy looked towards Reborn’s hiding place with sharp eyes that belied his easy-going grin, and Reborn added a note of ‘online Sentinel’ to the boy’s profile in his mind. The other didn’t seem to see him, but Reborn did notice him looking in his direction a few times, though never with the accuracy the other boy had sported. Another note was made, this time ‘observant, or online Guide/latent Sentinel’, and added to the information Reborn was accruing.

As the teenagers’ lunch break ended and they returned inside the school, Reborn climbed down from his vantage point and decided to explore the town, intending to get a better feel for the state of the locals. He was followed the entire time, which almost had him twitching, but the feeling remained watchful and cautious rather than hostile, and so he was able to – mostly – ignore it.

When he made his way back to the school, however, towards the time that Tsunayoshi would be released for the day, two of his watchers made themselves known to him. The woman of the pair turned and looked directly at him as she and her male partner – presumably her Guide, if he was correctly assuming her to be a Sentinel – walked up to the school gates and waited just outside them. If they were mundane, or latent civilians, then Reborn would have been twitching at having been spotted, but as they’d been watching him all day, he didn’t think they were and his professional pride remained undamaged.

And then he heard the terms used to address Tsunayoshi and his partner, and almost fell out of his perch.

_Alpha Primes?!_

He’d been sent to tutor an _Alpha Prime_?! Not only that, but a _Sky_ Alpha Prime?

He was lucky he’d not been shot and dragged out of town for having stalked a pair of underaged Alpha Primes for most of the day.

Fuck Iemitsu with a rusty poker, and fuck Timoteo too for sending him in so uninformed!

Now that he knew – mostly – what he was dealing with, Reborn changed his plan of approach. He couldn’t go overnight without contacting Tsunayoshi, for it was incredibly rude to enter an Alpha Pair’s territory for more than twenty-four hours without giving notice – which, with tourists, was usually supplied by hotels or travel agencies – so he would have to approach in the evening. His experience with Fon and Viper was his only help here; there was no point in trying to hide his intentions from a Sentinel or Guide, let alone a pair of them, and there was even less point in attempting to lie or obfuscate to one. His only possible avenue was to lay out the truth to Tsunayoshi and his probably-Sentinel, and hope that he was accepted as the young Sky’s tutor.

If not… well, he’d never failed a job before, but there was a first time for everything. As much as he hated the idea, if Tsunayoshi refused, then he would have to give in to that. There was no coercing or forcing a Sentinel or Guide to do anything they didn’t want to, or would harm their personal Tribe or Pride.

He would remain optimistic, though, and hope his previous experience with Viper and Fon would help him here. It was all he could do now.

Just before sundown, Reborn stood on the doorstep to his prospective student’s home and used Leon – shapeshifted into a long-handled claw – to grasp the doorknocker and rap upon the wood. He waited patiently, and a few minutes later the door was opened by a woman who looked so much like a female Fon – pre-curse, of course – that Reborn’s brain froze momentarily. He knew Fon had family in Japan as well as among the Chinese Triads, yes – but he’d not expected to encounter someone who could easily be Fon’s twin if their ages matched up. The woman hadn’t looked for him up at a normal adult height, but had instead opened the door with her eyes already close to his head level – and it wasn’t in a demure fashion, but as if she had known exactly how tall he was.

She smirked.

“You match Fon-oji-sama’s description perfectly, Reborn-san,” she stated, and Reborn’s brain rebooted at the confirmation of her relation to his fellow Arcobaleno. “Why are you here?” Reborn gathered his composure and bowed.

“Good evening,” he began, bypassing his usual greeting for formality. “I wish to speak with the Alpha Prime pair, if they are amenable.”

“Ojisama has taught you well,” Fon’s niece commented, amusement leaking into her tone, and she bent and picked him up casually. Thankfully for his pride, she didn’t hold him like the infant he appeared to be, but instead lifted him directly to her shoulder. He could faintly feel her Flames, despite his curse, and they carried a sense of amplification that he was used to feeling from Skull’s ridiculously strong Flames. A Cloud, then, and likely the mother of the teenager whom had been by Tsunayoshi’s side almost all day. That meant he was likely a Cloud, too, if he wasn’t a Storm like Fon. Reborn wouldn’t discount other Flame types, but they did tend to run in families.

Fon’s niece walked to what appeared to be the dining room, where Tsunayoshi and Nana were sitting with a few other people Reborn had seen throughout the day. Tsunayoshi’s partner, his pompadoured minion, the two boys from lunchtime, and a man whom Reborn recognised but had not seen in over fifteen years – Autumn Rain, Yamamoto Tsuyoshi. So this was where he’d disappeared to. The black-haired teen who had spied Reborn at lunch looked a great deal like Tsuyoshi now that Reborn was closer, and it was not a huge leap to make to mark them as father and son.

Reborn was placed on the table opposite Tsunayoshi and his likely-Sentinel, and he bowed politely.

“What brings you here, Reborn-san?” Tsunayoshi asked before Reborn spoke, his voice calm and even. “And to me specifically?”

“That is a bit of a lengthy explanation, Alpha Prime, but I can and will give you all the information I have,” Reborn replied, straightening from his bow. Tsunayoshi examined him with burning orange eyes, which then faded to a more amber-brown tone. He smiled slightly, and Reborn just barely suppressed a flinch. That smile was like one of Daniela’s, if less bloodthirsty.

“Then explain, Hitman, and I will listen.”

So Reborn did. He told Tsunayoshi everything he knew about the situation; Tsunayoshi’s ancestry, his viability as heir to the Vongola, the deaths of three of Timoteo’s children and the incarceration of the fourth and youngest, the poor information supplied by Iemitsu – Tsunayoshi twitched at the name – and Reborn’s need to scope out Namimori and Tsunayoshi for himself as a result, and finally: his reason for being there.

“I can see you’ll need less training than the idiots expected, but I also know there is no way you can be pushed into accepting the role,” he concluded, mouth feeling a little dry from so much speaking. “I will cancel my contract with the current Vongola leadership if you ask it, but whether you do or not, if you agree to be trained as the next Don, I will teach you everything you need to know for the position. If you do not, I will return to Italy and tell Timoteo to either find a new heir or let his youngest inherit.” He lapsed into silence, waiting for a response from the young Alpha Prime – who, if the growling that had come from the boy by his side was any indication, was most likely the Guide of the pair – who sat regarding him with thoughtful orange-tinted eyes.

“Xanxus is a viable heir despite being a bastard, so I do not know why I am suddenly first choice. I will accept, though,” he added, and Reborn was shocked by how strong his relief at that concession was. “Despite Timoteo and my sperm donor attempting to Seal me when my Flames activated as a child, I will accept the position of heir. Should they cross me or mine, I will not be lenient,” Tsunayoshi finished, and then stood gracefully as Reborn tried to process the new bombshell. He linked hands with his partner – Sentinel, Reborn was 99% sure – and they left the room together, soon followed by the three other teens. Tsuyoshi grinned, relaxing from his tense, stone-faced posture, and patted Reborn lightly on the shoulder.

“Seems you got the all-clear, old friend,” he said cheerily. “Come by Takesushi sometime, and I’ll give you your first meal free.” He wandered off, and Reborn was left alone with Nana and Fon’s niece.

Then Nana _smiled_ , and Reborn’s fight-or-flight instinct swung firmly to ‘flight’ immediately. He only remained still through pure strength of will. That was the smile of a predator.

“Welcome to Namimori, Reborn-san. Do enjoy your time here,” she said with an innocent little schoolgirl-type giggle, and then stood and drifted from the room like a butterfly. Reborn was still frozen when Fon’s niece gave a besotted little sigh. He glanced at her, and found her staring after Nana with metaphorical hearts in her eyes.

“Isn’t she _amazing_?” the woman breathed, and then turned to Reborn with a mischievous grin that reminded him _far too much_ of Fon at his most insolent. “I’m Hibari Kimiko, by the way, since no one got around to introducing themselves. My son, Kyoya, is Tsuna’s partner, and Nana is my Sentinel and wife.” Reborn nodded, relaxing slightly. “Come on, I’ll show you a room you can stay in. It’s never a good idea to intrude on a Sentinel’s personal space, and my sons especially don’t take kindly to people doing so,” she added, lifting Reborn to her shoulder again, and he went with ease. He listened as Kimiko told him bits and pieces of information that he’d not yet gathered, such as who the white-haired young man and Tsuyoshi’s son were, but his mind was already racing. There was so much to do, and he was starting at a disadvantage.

“Here you are,” Kimiko said finally, opening the door to a room that looked like a basic guest bedroom but with certain extra items sized to an Arcobaleno. “You’re welcome to join us for breakfast in the morning.”

“Thank you, Hibari-san,” he replied politely, and she left him with a little nod. Reborn explored the room perfunctorily, and then removed his shoes, tie, jacket, and hat, and slid into the bed.

He would get the rest of his belongings from the hotel in the morning. For now, he was willing to rest and process all the information he’d gained, and retailor his lesson plans for the young Sky Alpha and his forming Pride.


End file.
